How to You Roll Back a Major Change?
Have you guys ever made a major organizational change then needed to go back? This last year I tried to help buy back some of my time and created a Project/ Operations manager position so I could focus on sales and marketing. It's been a bumpy road to say the least. I first tried to hire two guys from outside the organization, I really thought I did my due diligence but it didn't work out with either of those guys. One guy I learned after a week (lol) the other took me a month and a half. On our third guy, I promoted from within and it seemed like it was working but here we are almost two full quarters in and we have less capacity because I haven't been successful in finding a replacement for him in the field, and we are making less money on jobs because ... well it's a combination of things but he might not be a fit for the position. I'm thinking I need a more decentralized approach since essentially we are at the same revenue number as last year when we didn't have his big overhead position. So the question is - how do you roll that back? Is it possible to make a change like that without alienating the person I'm demoting? Would it be easier to demote if I'm citing financial and structural changes for the company? What's ya'll take on that.How to Know Everything About Everything
Anyone else feel like this needs to be you? You need to know how to market, how to manage people, how to properly incentivize them, be well versed in finance as well as all the technical aspects of whatever trade you are in. We had a situation where we were installing a lighted niche, and the specific tile made it impossible to get the tiles perfectly flat while installing it on the wall, and my guys put the light too far back so it cast a very minor shadow in the niche. In hindsight we could have installed the tiles in the niche ahead of time so we could apply proper pressure to them so there's no lips (and also put the light more forward) ... we won't make that mistake again! As I sit in the office making meta ads, reviewing my financials, it get's super frustrating to have these technical curveballs while sorting through everything else it takes to run a business. This is why we need to build our own checks and balances: Who we call or who we hire (have a good process for vetting people that know what they are doing) What we double check and when Who's the second set of eyes (use your in field managers, make sure everyone is using Jobber for pictures and notes Which leads to what you document Now the niche issue won't ever happen again but we've definitely caught things BEFORE they are a mistake utilizing this system. How to you juggle all the responsibilities?How Are Home Service Businesses Preparing for AI Search Visibility?
Search is changing fast. We’ve already seen Google test online estimates and AI-assisted pricing in local search. Now, AI tools are helping homeowners decide who to call, sometimes before they ever visit a website. Scorpion Marketing published a report with the following stats: 22% of homeowners are already using AI tools to research services or get recommendations 80% of business owners say they don’t know how to prepare for AI-driven search visibility We’d love to hear what you’re seeing👇 Have you noticed changes in how customers find you or ask questions? Are you doing anything intentionally today to prep for AI-driven search? If AI search on your radar but still confusing, what question do you have? This space will continue to evolve. Sharing what’s working (or not) across different trades helps everyone get ahead of it!How Often do You Enforce the Fine Print?
In our contracts, it clearly states that if the scope changes and we are not able to do the visit, or if we are sent away for reasons outside of our control we will charge them $300 (for reference our min charge is a half day which is $500). I had a customer who's assistant asked us to install an undermount sink. It was in the contract, they signed it. We had done a visit with them months before and our technician mentioned a top mount sink would be easy but they specifically asked for an undermount. So we order the sink, show up and the owner not the assistant that coordinated the contract) says they want a top mount. Our technician says ok we'll have to come back. We tell them the charge for the new sink plus the cancellation and they think it's unreasonable. I definitely know, no one actually reads the contract. Should the technician have said, if you send me away, it's $300 charge extra. But they also are changing the plan. I'm a softee so I'm not going to charge them the cancellation but what do you think about a situation like that? Maybe the cancellation charge is too much? It's basically enough for me to give the technician something for planning their whole day around the job plus make a very small amount of profit. Thoughts?Remodelers - What Kind Of Job Take Off Form Do you use?
We've started doing a lot bigger jobs and I've typically been the one to walk the job with the lead for the job, then they take it from there. No drawings, no real written plans outside of the job scope in jobber and the daily notes and conversations we have. Luckily we have some really good guys but I'd like to make this easier for everyone. For those of you that do 2-4 weeks jobs (so not big enough to always involve official drawings), what strategy are you using to make sure everyone gets the details and follows what your vision for the project is?Using Claude API and Facebook/Instgram API For Social posting
Curious if anyone else here has implemented API's into their websites. I just figured out how to enable Claude API and Facebook/Instgram API's to automaticall generate instagram/facebook descriptions, alt tags, and hashtags by clicking a button. Then I can click another button to uplaod directly to FB and IG. It's made my image gallery uploads and social uploads to my IG and FB pages a breeze. Huge game changer! I even have my stats in my site now and can comment on posts and DM's all through my site without having to go into my social platforms anymore. If anyone would like help with this, please let me know, would be glad to walk you through it.
What’s holding most service businesses back
I’ve been thinking about this lately, what’s actually holding most service businesses back? Is it: • Lack of leads • Poor systems • Weak pricing • Or the owner not stepping into the business role Because I’ve seen companies busy all day… but still stuck. Curious what do you think is the real bottleneck?Job Quick Sand - What Do You Do When Things Go Sideways?
We are on a job right now where we are in a bit of job quick sand and nothing can go right. We have been working with this client for years on a number of projects but this is the biggest one we've done. A bunch of tile in the kitchen, painting kitchen cabinets, and replacing all their doors. Fairly straight forward. It all started with something they didn't like about the tile layout in one section. No big deal easy fix. Then they were nit picking the paint job before it was done. Still not that big of a deal. Then it started when the doors we ordered were delivered damaged. We were only doing one at a time but the door they asked us to install was in their master bath. Now they don't have a door till the replacements come in. Then they started asking for add on tasks but complaining about the price. Then they approved a quote for gutters but I guess the wife wanted vinyl and the husband wanted aluminum. He comes home and flips out because his wife approved vinyl gutters. Then the replacement doors arrived and and were the wrong ones. All the while the husband calls me everyday at the end of the day to discuss the plan. Some of this is our fault, some of this is out of our control but either way it's putting stress on the team and myself. What do you guys do when you start to get in that quick sand?How Fast Do You Pick Up a Phone Call or Call Someone Back After a Missed Call?
Curious how everyone here handles this, because a new Jobber survey of recent homebuyers turned up a stat that stuck with me: 15% had to follow up repeatedly just to get a response from a contractor 9% never heard back at all Losing potential business due to something that is not a pricing problem or a skill problem should be a wake up call. In a world where 75% of new homeowners hire a pro within their first two years of buying, being the one who calls back first might be the easiest job you win all week! So, what's your business standard? Do you answer within a certain time frame or let it go to voicemail and call back same day? Are there systems set up so nothing slips through the cracks? 👉 Recent Homebuyer Report: It's got homeowner quotes on what made them trust (or ditch) a contractor, plus a breakdown of how each generation actually finds a pro.
